Greening the Profession

Abstract

In 1993 Elizabeth Hoffman and I published an article in this journal tided Toward an Art Education of Place. We theorized that an art education of place is possible by infusing community-based art education with a bioregional perspective. Our thinking in this regard was partly influenced through our association with colleagues in the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon who were preparing architects, landscape architects, and community planners. Emphasis within the school was, and continues to be, routinely placed on environmental design and education. The school's stated mission promotes faulty, student and staff accountability for their actions on environmental, social, and cultural systems. The school's systemically oriented mission is in keeping with a bioregionalism emphasizing natural, cultural, and social environments toward a shared identity in the bioregion known as Cascadia.The architects, landscape architects, and community planners with whom I work are noted in their fields for their leadership in research and teaching around sustainability. Sustainability has become frequendy and possibly overused in public discourse about the environment. As a concept it seems generally undertheorized in its application. The literature associated with Architecture can be helpful in this regard. For example, Guy and Farmer (200 1 ) oudine six competing logics associated with sustainable architecture. Each of the six logics is considered in relationship to space, the source of environmental knowledge, building image, technologies, and concept of place. Guy and Farmer discuss the implications of these logics on architectural education, practice, and research. PyIa (2009) , in response to the growing enthusiasm for sustainable Architecture, cautions that the profession must seek a nuanced understanding of the concept's history because such an understanding offers the critical tools to help architects detect the blind spots, anticipate the drawbacks or discern the subtexts of emerging strategies (pp. 1-2).In the midst of this critical discourse, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) proposes a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), these standards address building sites, water systems, energy/ atmosphere, materials, indoor environmental quality, and the design process (USGBC, 2009c). There are LEED projects in all 50 states of the US as well as 91 countries (USGBC, 2009b). Building projects seeking LEED certification are judged by specific criteria related to the above and awarded points for meeting or surpassing the standards. Points can be earned for providing educational programs and interpretive materials to the public about sustainable design. Based on the number of points earned, buildings are certified silver, gold, or platinum. LEED is now being routinely applied to new construction as well as creative re-use of building associated with schools and cultural organizations among others. The USGBC hosts a specific website dedicated to building green schools (USGBC, 2009a) and educational institutions are identified as one the top three sectors for the construction of green building (USGBC, 2009b). The USGBC also publishes resources for both K- 12 and higher education (USGBC, 2009d). Notable recent examples of LEED certified buildings that I have experienced first-hand in Portland, Oregon are the University of Oregon White Stag Block (Gold) and the Pordand Center Stage Armory (Platinum). Both of these buildings are historical structures that demonstrate that sustainable design can enhance form and does not compromise function or historical significance. Among cultural institutions internationally, the building that is currently garnering a great deal of attention is the California Academy of Sciences Museum (Platinum) located in San Francisco. Designed by Lorenzo Piano, this museum includes a living roof along with other attributes demonstrating how buildings and the programs that they house promote sustainability. …